MILAN (MF-Dow Jones)--Fiat SpA (F.MI) deputy chairman John Elkann will meet Tuesday with German Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and other businessmen, paving the way for Wednesday meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel on General Motors Corp.'s (GM) Opel unit, a person close to the situation said Monday.

"Elkann is going to have a business lunch Tuesday to discuss Fiat's plan for Opel," the person said.

The Italian carmaker is aiming to seal a three-way merger with Chrysler and Opel.

-By Danilo Caselli with MF-Dow Jones Newswires; +39 02 5821 9906; sabrina.cohen@dowjones.com